PREVIOUSLY - CAMPAIGN DIARIES 40 - Battle for Julkoun

08 Merpenoth- Day 102 - 2AM - Julkoun

Having infiltrated the goblin-captured town of Julkoun, the Owlbear League secretly made their way down the cliff-face north of the town into a covered bridge over a moat, where they found the dead body of the town cleric. In the tunnels beneath the town, they barricaded themselves in, snuck up on the hobgoblin captains and his guards and battled them to the death, except for one. They have charmed one of the hobgoblin guards, and he stands in confusion, thinking the Owlbear League are friends, but not understanding their attack on his captain Shorg.

Nowhere and Dain dive for cover, Atlas and Immeral dive behind some crates, and K'ronk avoids the blast as Rhone the hobgoblin opens the trap door at the top of the stairs and drops it closed again, running for his life. Unfortunately, Oyfanen and the rest of the Owlbear League, even protected, are blasted hard. Atlas and Immeral are knocked unconscious, Seraphina is wounded badly and barely keeps her feet, and the rest of the party is wounded, but quickly rise to their feet.

Rhone can be heard screaming in goblinoid (understood only by Immeral), "Run for your lives, Gabulla has lost her mind and is killing our friends!"

The eight remaining goblins race up the stairs and into the room. Dain rushes to bash the goblins with his shield, and knocks into one, trying to send him down the stairs, but he knocks into the wall and remains up.

K'ronk swings his quarterstaff at a goblin and it ducks, causing K'ronk to break his quarterstaff against a crate. He then casts fire bolt and hits the dodgy goblin for some scorching fire damage, knocking the goblin out.

Orryn launches a sneak attack at another goblin, stabbing with his rapier and cuts down a second goblin.

Seraphina casts prayer of healing on herself, reviving Immeral and Atlas, restoring Orryn, Dain and Oyfanen the dryad.

Nowhere races to the passage the goblins emerged from and casts Hunters Mark on the goblin shaman, magically marking the spellcaster as her quarry. She leaps over two goblins and knocks past a third which swipe at her with their curved swords, missing the tiefling ranger. She races down the hallway towards their leader, Gabulla.

Oyfanen swings her club at one of the goblins, bashing one unconscious and then beating him to death "die, die, die!"

One of the goblins slashes at Seraphina and draws blood, driving her into a crate.

Another attacks Immeral who is just getting to his feet and slashes him across the back, piercing his mage armor spell.

K'ronk tries to dodge the stabs of another goblin, but is scratched for some minor damage.

Dain fights off an attack from a couple of goblins, but neither connect to the dwarf.

Gabulla, seeing Nowhere bearing down on her casts burning hands, and the flames singe Nowhere, but she dodges under the flames and her fire resistance prevents hardly a scratch, but the flames fan out and accidentally kills one of the goblins chasing Nowhere. Nowhere turns to the goblin shaman and gives her a taste of her own medicine, casting hellish rebuke and bathing Gabulla in searing flames which roasts her skin, causing her to flail in torment as her clothes and hair catch fire and she turns and runs screaming.

Dain goes to protect Immeral and engages the goblin, but fails to draw blood.

K'ronk aims his staff of frost at the darkenbeast and unleashes a cone of cold, risking that the already depleted wand dissolves upon using the last of its magic, but the wand survives. A blast of cold envelopes the winged creature, cracking its wings and leathery skin as ice forms on it and blood oozing from its wounds freezes on its skin. It howls in agony, and turns to K'ronk.

Immeral turns to his goblin attacker and casts poison spray, sending a puff of noxious gas at his attacker. The goblin coughs and chokes on the gas, and blood pours from the corner of its eyes, but it maintains its feet and can still fight.

Atlas, seeing the darkenbeast is wounded runs over and launches a blistering attack of punches. At first Atlas fails to connect solidly, but the beast comes under her flurry of blows in a moment of inspired combat, breaking ribs in its side. She continues with more kicks and punches, and it turns the beast away from K'ronk as it writhes and howls in pain.

Orryn races down the hallway after Nowhere and Gabulla, and seeing the shaman turn to cast a spell, uses his wand of magic missiles to launch a volley of purple magical darts at her. The blasts tears apart the goblin leader just as the air crackles with the magical energy of a lightning bolt, and the spell dissipates as Gabulla falls to the ground, unconscious.

Orryn goes to the fallen shaman and ensures the goblin will not rise from the battle.

Oyfanen bashes another goblin with her club, killing it.

Seraphina casts sacred flame at the darkenbeast, but it hardly has an effect, although it turns away from the radiant light.

Nowhere runs back to the room to do battle as Orryn examines the deceased goblin.

The remaining goblin swings at Dain, but he easily parries the blow and cuts it down with his great axe.

The darkenbeast starts turning back from the tunnel from which it came, provoking attacks of opportunity from The League as it retreats.

Immeral rushes forward with his quarterstaff, but lands a glancing blow that does no damage.

Atlas charges forward drawing her silvered shortsword and slicing the leg of the retreating creature, and it howls and passes out.

08 Merpenoth- Day 102 - 3:00AM - North Julkoun

As they assess the battle, Immeral runs up the stairs to bolt the hatch again, just in case the screaming hobgoblin had not convinced all to run. But he sees the area is cleared out, and peaking out of the warehouse he has come up in, sees the rest of the goblins have thrown open the gates, ran down the ramp to the lower section of town, and are abandoning Julkoun with great haste.

He calls the others up and in the light of the moons, they watch the goblin invaders ran off. They feel a rush of energy, like they could fight the whole night and defeat any foe. They are more powerful than ever, and the Owlbear League revels in their win and heads off to the woods.

NEXT - CAMPAIGN JOURNAL 42 - Shaman of the Goblin Invaders